Red Thorn

Chapter 1

July 2011

It had been two days since Steve Rogers had woken up in a recovery room. He'd instantly known something was wrong when he recognised the game broadcast on the radio, a game he'd watched in May of 1941. After breaking out, he had found himself running down the streets of an unfamiliar New York City. A man dressed in a long black trench coat with an eyepatch had told him that he'd been trapped in the ice for nearly seventy years.

Upon arriving at his temporary accommodation, Agent Rumlow had showed him the basics, such as how to work the television and kitchen appliances. But there had still been no sign of the mysterious Red Thorn, the woman tasked with helping him during his rehabilitation, at least until he heard a knock at the door.

Steve opened it to find a young woman standing in front of him. Her crimson red hair was neatly pulled into a ponytail, and she wore a black mask that stopped just below her sea green eyes. "Good evening, ma'am. You must be Agent Red," he said. "Please, come in."

"Red," she corrected.

Closing the door behind her, he furrowed his brows. "Is that not what I said?"

"You can just call me Red," the agent explained as she took in her surroundings, checking for any potential threats. "There's no need for the Agent part."

"In that case," Steve offered a hand for her to shake, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Red."

She hesitated for a moment, analysing the situation and making sure he had no hidden weapons before shaking his hand. "Likewise, Captain Rogers."

"Please, call me Steve," he said and Red nodded. "I see why they call you the Red Thorn. It wasn't a tendency to have hair that colour back in the forties, but I like it. Red suits you."

"Thank you. But the hair is new, the name is not," she clarified.

"My mistake," he apologised. "Would you like something to drink?"

Ignoring his question, she asked one of her own. "How have you been since waking up?"

"I won't lie, it's a struggle," he truthfully admitted. "But I'll adapt."

Red nodded and handed him a small electronic device. "This is a pager. If you need me, press this button, I will be over shortly after. Press it twice if it is urgent," she instructed.

"Thank you."

Another curt nod, and Agent Red made her way back over to the door, saying, "Goodnight, Capitaine," before letting herself out.

Steve watched as she left, slightly confused by the whole interaction. It was short, and she got to the point, but he couldn't help feeling like as the person who was supposed to be helping him, she could have at least tried to make a little small talk, even if she 'wasn't much of a talker.'

*

The super soldier was stood in his kitchen, staring at the coffee machine, desperately trying to remember how it worked when he heard a light knock at the door. He'd expected to see Agent Red standing there with an emotionless expression on her face, but no one was there. Just as he was about to close it again, Steve noticed a basket of cupcakes sitting on his doormat, and what looked to be a paper cup.

After placing the basket of sweet treats down on the table, Steve removed the lid of the drink, allowing the smell of coffee to fill the air. His survival instincts had him wondering if it had been poisoned, but then he noticed an envelope nestled in between the cakes, the word 'Capitaine,' scribbled on the front.

'I could tell that you hadn't been sleeping, so I picked this up for you on my run this morning. Not the muffins, they were because I made extra and thought you might like them. Try having a cup about half an hour before you go to bed, hopefully it will help. Also, I thought you might be struggling with the coffee machine; you seemed like an Americano kind of man. ~R'